02/12/2026
I was on my last clinical rotation in Tampa FL. 🌴
I learned to not judge a patient by their MRI.
My patient's MRI showed...
full thickness rotator cuff tear, retraction of the supraspinatus, with a partial labral tear (not good).🫥
For you with a non medical degree- his shoulder was hanging by a thread.
So young student PT me was thinking "WTF is this guy doing in PT? He needs surgery, we're wasting time trying to rehab."
Rehab was worth a shot, because young student PT me wasn't going to crash this guys party.
As we go through PT over the next couple weeks, he actually starts to make progress. 💪
He goes from not being to lift his arm at all, let alone put on a shirt with the one arm sleeve-collar-sleeve technique to ACTUALLY GETTING BETTER.
His range of motion gets back to normal, he gains his strength back, he's able to sleep and work pain-free.
He ends up cancelling his surgery, because his function has returned.
Your MRI does not determine your function.
Your body has the ability to heal (without surgeries or shots), it just needs the right inputs.
We help people avoid surgery and get back to the activities they love.
If you're already active, and pain’s getting in the way of your training, spend less time on the sidelines, and get back into the game.
DM us "💪" to get started.